“It produces about 12,000 horsepower and about 6,500 pounds of thrust,” Braach said. “It’s going to accelerate me from a standing start to almost 400 miles per hour in about 9 seconds.”

Braach, a retired Air Force pilot, has been behind the wheel of the Smoke-N-Thunder for 10 years.

This weekend, Braach and his Smoke-N-Thunder will race an airplane.

“It’s similar to what an F-18 pilot launches off the end of a carrier,” he said. “It continuously accelerates faster and faster and faster, and I need all of that speed to catch the airplane that I’ll be racing this weekend.”

Many would think the airplane has an advantage, but Braach said he has a few tricks up his sleeve.

“I’ll accelerate for about 1,800 feet, shoot underneath him at about 380 mph. So it’ll make it look like he’s hardly moving,” he said.

Braach said by the time he reaches the finish line, he’ll have had a good run.

“We’re the only part of the show that has a winner or a loser,” he said. “I’m just happy the paycheck’s the same for first or second.”

The Smoke-N-Thunder has a 100 percent safety record after 4,000 performances.